Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 154

Devanagari script

चर्मखड्गधरो रौद्रस्तिष्ठतिष्ठेति चाब्रवीत् । तमप्येवं गृहीत्वा तत्केशपाशे सुरेश्वरी

Transliteration

carmakhaḍgadharo raudrastiṣṭhatiṣṭheti cābravīt | tamapyevaṃ gṛhītvā tatkeśapāśe sureśvarī

Translation

Un être farouche, portant bouclier de cuir et épée, s’écria : « Halte ! Halte ! » Mais la Souveraine Déesse le saisit de même, l’empoignant par sa mèche de cheveux.

Word by Word

• चर्मखड्गधरः: the bearer of shield and sword
• चर्मखड्गधरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चर्म-खड्ग-धर (प्रातिपदिक; चर्म + खड्ग + धर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• रौद्रः: fierce
• रौद्रः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• तिष्ठ: stand!
• तिष्ठ: Sambodhana-prayoga (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• तिष्ठ: stand!
• तिष्ठ: Sambodhana-prayoga (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• एवम्: thus, in this way
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• गृहीत्वा: having seized
• गृहीत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु) → गृहीत्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकाल (prior action)

• तत्: his
• तत्: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular) — (समासे पूर्वपद-रूपम्)

• केशपाशे: by/in the lock of hair
• केशपाशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश-पाश (प्रातिपदिक; केश + पाश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• सुरेश्वरी: the lady of the gods
• सुरेश्वरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर-ईश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक; सुर + ईश्वरी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta-style narration within Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Royal listener (‘pārthiva-śreṣṭha’ addressed in adjacent verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A roaring asura with hide-shield and sword shouts a command; Devī, unshaken, seizes him by the hair-lock, arresting his motion mid-charge.

Characters & Entities

• Sureśvarī (Devī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine protection is decisive: arrogance and violence are subdued when the Goddess upholds dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda (Mount Abu region), also linked in this passage to the famed Varaparvata setting of the Devī’s deeds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse is narrative, establishing the Goddess’s protective power that later supports the site’s sanctity.